Recipe Review: Smoky Chipotle-Chicken Corn Chowder with Salsa Salad

Here's another recipe from Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals. This one I made on Sunday night, despite the fact that it was in the mid-80s and not exactly the ideal weather for soup. Also, for this one I definitely could not use the express lane, as I had to buy almost everything at the market. But some of you may keep a better-stocked kitchen than I....

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and black pepper

20-30 white or yellow corn chips, ground in food processor to yield 1 cup

1 quart chicken stock

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small bite-size pieces

2 10-ounce boxes frozen corn kernels

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 ripe Hass avocados

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 small head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Chowder: Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, chipotle, celery, coriander, cumin, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the onions are slightly tender, stirring frequently. Add the ground chips to the onion; stir to combine. Add the chicken stock, bring it up to a bubble, then simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and frozen corn and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. To serve, sprinkle with a generous helping of the Italian parsley and garnish with tortilla chips.

Salad Dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, mustard, and a little salt and pepper. In a slow, steady stream whisk in 3 tablespoons of EVOO.

Salad: Chop the flesh of the avocados into bite-sized pieces and place in salad bowl. Halve the tomatoes and add those along with the cilantro, chopped romaine, and chopped onion. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

My Thoughts: Matt looooves soup. Me, not so much. But when there is a soup I like, 9 times out of 10 it's a chowder or a creamy, thick soup. So this one went over well for both of us. It was easy to make--nothing complicated or anything, although the kitchen was a disaster by the time I finished. While we did like it, I was a little surprised and disappointed that the flavor was so...uninspired. One-toned. Know what I mean? I expected to taste layers of flavor, but it was pretty straightforward and unexciting. We agreed that next time we'll try throwing in a can of diced green chiles for added color and maybe another flavor dimension. I also think that garnishing with an extra-sharp cheddar and sour cream would be really good.

My Proudest Moment: Successfully emulsifying the salad dressing, which was pretty tasty. Next time I'll add more salt, though. (Poor Matt, he doesn't like it that I keep posting photos of him....)